Any Approaching Enemy: A Novel of the Napoleonic Wars

My dad had me read the Hornblower series as a kid, and I remember thinking of Forester's stories when I picked up Worrall's first book and then this one. I must say, anyone who enjoyed the Hornblower books should without question give Worrall's a try. Though I enjoyed Sails on the Horizon, Any Approaching Enemy is clearly a better book. As with the characters for any sequel, the characterization of Penny, Charles, and the rest of the returning cast (except perhaps Molly) is better defined, and the reader's familiarity with each makes for a better reading experience. If you're interested enough in this genre to be reading this review, you should go ahead and order both books. You'll thank me later.

I don't know a lot about naval history, but I do know Quaker history, and I'm so tired of seeing Quakers--especially women--depicted as meek and retiring, which was so much not the case! They travelled the world, unaccompanied by men, raising all sorts of ruckus. So I hugely enjoyed watching Captain Charles Edgemont's reaction to having his wife (not a Quaker himself, he had no idea what he was getting into when he married her!) appear on the scene, accompanied by Molly, the former prostitute she redeemed and took under her wing in the first book of the series. Poor Charles has no idea what he's gotten himself into, and of course there is the small matter of French warships to be dealt with as well! In "Persuasion," Jane Austen, whose brothers were in the British Navy during the same period in which this novel is set, created a very likable admiral's wife who had lived aboard with her husband, but even the lively Mrs. Croft was no Penelope Brown Edgemont. I enjoyed Worrall's earlier book, "Sails on the Horizon," but this sequel is edgier and more suspenseful. In addition to figuring out what to do with his wife, Edgemont is saddled with a rebellious first lieutenant. His previous first officer, Bevan, now has his own ship, but there are regular opportunities to continue their witty repartee. And the final, exciting battle scene, resolves a mystery of the Napoleonic Wars that even I had heard about.

Once again, Worrall has shocked the literary community, including (but likely not limited to) his own children, who, in a bizarre example of a phenomenon known as role-reversal multiplicity, were convinced that their father would never amount to anything twice. In Any Approaching Sequel, the leading characters are forced to contend with their contrasting (or at least significantly different) value systems while trying to survive the rigors of life at sea (large boats, crusty sailors, no TiVo, the French). Without giving away too much plot, it's safe to say that the reader (that's you, right?) will be able to comfortably enjoy reading a novel in the genre they love (just like in Sails on the Horizon, you actually feel like you're at sea while you read the book, especially if you read in the pool) while experiencing a plot that C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian have not penned themselves. If you enjoyed Sails on the Horizon, you should buy this book. If you have not yet enjoyed Sails on the Horizon, the best plan is to buy both books (better odds). If you didn't like Sails on the Horizon... well, you probably bought one from a bad batch, so the best plan is to keep trying until you get a copy that works for you. Also, you probably aren't reading this review.

I loved this book! I liked it even better than "Sails on the Horizon", the first book in the series. The characters are real, multi-dimensional, and believable. The scenes at the Battle of the Nile were very real. Worrall clearly knows his wooden ships and the people who sailed in them. I can hardly wait for the next one.

The leading characters from the splendid Sails on the Horizon are present and accounted for in this action filled sequel. I'm generally not a reader of seafaring military sagas, but Worrall's books really are very appealing. There isn't a cardboard character among them, and the dialogue alone makes them worthwhile. Penny and Molly's arrival and rendevous with the Louisa at Sir William Hamilton's home in Naples is somewhat unbelievable but engaging nonetheless. There is more naval lore and much more time at sea this time, but enough interplay between Charlie and Penny as well as Daniel and Molly to make me happy. A great book.